Richard Shelton is wrestling with his conscience. As a member of the upper class at a time when the British Empire is at its height, he sees beyond the façade of their and his luxurious life. He has become engaged to Antonia and during the course of the book he meets, notices and talks to people from the lower classes and comes to reject the idea that Britain and his own class is good, thus becoming something of a moral outcast. The book follows his journey and is a scathing satire of life in his time. (Summary by Simon Evers)